Rogers Remarks at Budget Hearing on National Aeronautics and Space Administration

I would like to welcome Administrator Isaacman to our Subcommittee. We are pleased to have him here today at a critical and exciting time for NASA. Administrator, I want to first extend my congratulations to NASA for the success of the Artemis II mission. 

It was inspiring to see the crew complete their mission from launch to splash down. We know this was no small feat and involved everyone at NASA working toward a shared goal. I also want to recognize Morehead State University in my district. Morehead was selected by NASA to support the tracking of the Artemis II mission. I am incredibly proud of Morehead State’s Space Science program and the unique opportunities that they offer to students in Eastern Kentucky.

We are here today to review NASA’s budget request for Fiscal Year 2027. The request is $18.8 billion, a $5.6 billion or 23% cut from the Fiscal Year 2026 enacted level. In addition to the request, NASA received roughly $2 billion in the One Big Beautiful bill for Fiscal Year 2027. After the success and momentum NASA has built over the past year, it is disappointing to see this request.

NASA has set out with ambitious goals under President Trump’s leadership. America is in a space race with China, not so different from where we found ourselves during the Apollo era. We can learn a lot from history. The nation’s commitment to Apollo and the success of the program clearly demonstrates that this is a critical time for investment in NASA. We must build on the investments Congress has already made. Administrator, you have recently laid out an ambitious path for increasing the deep space launch cadence, building a lunar base, ramping up both lunar and Mars commercial missions, and returning American astronauts to the Moon. 

The Appropriations Committee is supportive of these goals, but it is only through a strong discretionary budget process in partnership with the Committee that NASA can meet these objectives. I would now like to recognize the ranking member of the Subcommittee, Ms. Meng.